airhole not in the bottom

jjjarhead · Dec 3, 2014

Hi everyone

I just bought a Jobey estate pipe and I found out that the air hole isn't right at the bottom. Is that supposed to be a problem, a design flaw or anything of the sort? If so, how should I fix it? I'm thinking about apply pipe mud at the bottom to the point of the pipe mud, do you think it's a good solution?

Chasing Embers · Dec 3, 2014

Pipe mud would be the way to go. Had to do that to a couple of mine. Cigar ash seems to make the best mud though.

cosmicfolklore · Dec 3, 2014

One of the first things that I noticed about Danish high-end pipes were that their bent pipes were drilled leaving a drop in the bottom. Like you, I was wondering if these guys knew what they were doing. When I asked Nording about it, he said that especially on bent pipes, you have to leave a little room for the condensation to fall, or else you will get gurgle. They intentionally do this. Nording even sells stones to put in the bowl to lift the tobacco up above the bottom, called Nording Stones.
So, either it's ok, or most of the world's best pipe makers don't know how to make pipes, ha ha.
My guess is that if you put mud to raise the bottom of your pipe, that it would gurgle like a bubble pipe.

pitchfork · Dec 3, 2014

When I asked Nording about it, he said that especially on bent pipes, you have to leave a little room for the condensation to fall, or else you will get gurgle.

That makes perfect sense -- and I've never had a problem with pipes drilled that way (even though it's supposed to be "wrong").

zack24 · Dec 3, 2014

Smoke it...if it smokes good, there's not a problem. I try for a draft hole where the bottom of the draft is 1/32" higher than the bottom of the chamber on straight pipes. I was at the Chicago Show last year looking at a $1,200 pipe from one of the old school pipe makers and his draft was a full 3/16" higher...and he's known to make a good smoking pipe...

cosmicfolklore · Dec 3, 2014

I would use digital calipers. I'm not sure what Zack uses.

tbradsim1 · Dec 3, 2014

If I remember right a shipping tag was the thickness of .25 when setting points on Lawnmowers in the old days, you could cut a shipping tag lengthwise and curl the btm edge and insert in bowl and approximate.

jjjarhead · Dec 3, 2014

In fact, I forgot to mention that this pipe smokes exceptionally well. And that is my intention to post this thread: I've heard that the draft hole (is that the term?) should be right at the bottom otherwise it may cause some problems, but this pipe, not only doesn't has a problem, but is one of my favorite smoking-quality wise. So I said to myself, there's gotta be something behind it, a theory or something. And thanks to cosmicfolklore, I now know what that is. So i think the problem is solved. thanks to you all.

cosmicfolklore · Dec 3, 2014

LOL, Newbie, mine has a stick the size of a toothpick that drops down into the bowl. It's a matter of subracting the two measurements. But, I could measure it with a pencil and a ruler if I didn't have these handy. It's not exactly rocket science, more like 6th grade math.

billypm · Dec 3, 2014

I've had perfectly drilled pipes gurgle maniacally and wonky off-center abominations perform like superstars. My point? Even if we figure out some hard and fast science behind some of this stuff, there will be exceptions. And I dig that.

zack24 · Dec 3, 2014

how do you get digital calibers down 1-1/2" or more into basically a 3/4" hole to even come close to accurately measure something? Yeah you could use a depth gauge but who actually uses them when inspecting pipes and who is really willing to spend the money for an accurate depth gauge?

Yep- digital calipers. After I drill, I measure the depth of the hole with the depth indicator (thin rod on opposite end from the caliper jaws), Zero the reading, and measure the blank from top to bottom with the jaws to make sure I leave enough thickness on the bottom of the bowl.
Very little guesswork required with my process (fortunately!)- I have a two jaw chuck with pins that the stummel is swiveled around for chamber and airhole. I use a laser pointer aimed at a mark on the drill bit shank- I drill until the laser touches the mark, and I know the tip of the drillbit is at the right spot...A little trickier for bents...
The guys who shape the pipe first and drill later- that is a more challenging process...

jjjarhead · Dec 3, 2014

billy, you got a point, but that's why they are called exceptions, otherwise every pipe maker would just drill the draft hole however they want instead of following some certain principles, right?

zekest · Dec 3, 2014

Corn Cob pipes have the air-hole machine drilled somewhere below the middle, and the shank machine jammed in half way across the bowl, and forum members love it that way. Engineering really does not matter much, apparently.

cosmicfolklore · Dec 3, 2014

Well, I think it matters to a point. I think that when the draft comes up dead center below the bowl, it can become irritating if a bead of water sets right on the hole, making the pipe gurg a bit and smoke in a way that I'm not crazy about, or having to work a pipecleaner down it every so often. I have pipes that fit my style of smoking better.
And, while I don't think it perfectly necessary that a pipecleaner has to pass easily, it sucks when the drilling in the stem pinches the cleaner in a way that makes it hard to work through. Or, if the maker leaves a ridge when the switched bit sizes in the stem, and the cleaner won't even pass through just the stem. Some things can bug me. But, yeh, it takes a real inept pipe maker to botch it up that good.

okiescout · Dec 4, 2014

I believe that results when they bend the stem without doing it properly. The Bore needs something inserted to keep it open when the heated stem is bent. Just my thoughts.
I do not smoke cigars very often. The pipe is my joy. So to secure a supply of cigar ash, the next trip to smoke down at my local B&C, I took a clean container with me. All my buddies smoking cigars were happy to use my ashtray for their ashes. The result was a jar of quality cigar ash to go on my pipe bench :lol:

airhole not in the bottom

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